


Happy Accidents

by SpringWinter



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), aphmau - Fandom, mystreet
Genre: Aaron just wants a future for his baby ok, Alina - Freeform, Angst, Aphmau (Mystreet) Is A Badass Bitch, Derek Lycan's A+ Parenting, Fluff, Hold My Earrings, Irene The Matron - Freeform, Katelyn Has Anger Issues, Neglect, Pregnancy, Questionable dream sequences with questionable narratives, Shad The Realm Breaker, Silvana Gonna Kill A Bitch, Soul Fragments, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-18
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 10:20:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25968010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpringWinter/pseuds/SpringWinter
Summary: “I’m pregnant.”It’s funny how two small words can make such a big echo.Aphmau gets pregnant during her junior year of college and Aaron's senior. Confessions are made, 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘴 are made, and both try to survive the last two months of college while trying to keep their relationship a secret from Derek and his crew of secret agents. But Aaron only gets antsier and antsier the longer he's away from the pregnant love of his life, and Derek is only getting more and more on his nerves. Will he be able to hold on until graduation?TL;DR, Aphmau is pregnant, I fixed the age gap, and they elope.Now only if the process had been that simple. Also, what’s with these weird dreams they keep having?
Relationships: Aphmau/Aaron Lycan
Comments: 22
Kudos: 40





	1. Preggo

**Author's Note:**

> HELLO EVERYONE I AM A PERSON AND I WROTE THIS HI HELLO HOW ARE YA'LL  
> I've recently been trying to get back into the Aphmau fandom but I've largely outgrown her content, unfortunately. Fortunately, I can write, however bad the quality may be, and I noticed the Aphmau fandom could use some more fanfic from time to time, so here! Have some Aarmau fuel I guess!
> 
> (Also I know that Aarmau has a myriad of issues and most of them will be corrected here, starting with the age gap because A FRESHMAN AND A SENIOR SHOULDN'T BE DATING NO MATTER HOW NON-PREDETORY THE SENIOR MAY BE JESSICA. I have a lot of issues with Mystreet in general when it comes to Aaromau so some things may be subject to change in regards to canonical interactions and past events. Also, Irene and Shad WILL be making an appearance later in the story, and I think I have a nifty explanation for both. So yeah.)
> 
> Without further ado, let the baby hijinks begin!

Aphmau had been adamant they meet today. 

Aaron isn’t sure why just yet. She’d said they had to talk about something, something important, but all Aaron had heard was the panic in her voice. He hadn’t had a chance to ask before he’d found himself agreeing to meet up at her apartment. All he’d been thinking about at that moment is the terrifying possibility that Aphmau had been in trouble.

Because… Aphmau didn’t usually call like this. Aphmau didn’t usually demand his presence, or sound that panicked, or ask him to come over without at least a two-day notice. 

_“I need you to come over.”_

Not “I _want_ you to come over” or “ _Can_ you come over.” It was a clear and simple “I _need_ you to come over.” As in, this was an emergency. Get here now. I need you.

Aaron had never gotten that from Aphmau before.

So now he’s here, dodging his father’s security guards and in one of his only non-red hoodies to blend into the environment better. Because Aphmau needs him, and he doesn’t have the heart to say no to her.

Even back in high school, it had always been that way. Aphmau, the silly, immature freshmen, and Aaron, the closed-off and delinquent junior, resident new guy and transfer student. Dancing around each other, yet still so close. Aaron would have done anything for her; all she had to do was ask. 

Like now. While he was currently running away from his dorm room and trying to text Agent R to cover for him. That man was a godsend.

He sighs as he begins walking down the road to Aphmau’s apartment. These past few months had been hell in regards to Aaron’s home life. His father had become more and more strict as time went by, but now, he had the added motivation of making sure Aaron studied for his finals. This year was his last in college, and if he managed to pass, he would only have to wait until he got his diploma and graduated.

And then… and then he’ll be free.

But not right now. Right now, he’s standing outside of Aph’s apartment.

He takes in a breath. For a moment, he feels uncertain. Maybe… maybe Aphmau is calling him here to tell him she doesn’t want to see him anymore. Maybe she’s going to tell him that he’s annoying, or that she decided to be his friend out of pity, or…

He doesn’t get a chance to finish the thought, because the door suddenly opens, and Aaron finds himself in front of her. His dearest Aphmau…  
Who’s currently looking at him with panic in her eyes.

_At least it doesn’t seem directed at me,_ is the only thing he gets to think before he’s suddenly being dragged into the apartment by Aphmau herself.

“Aph?” he says in confusion. She’s left him at the greeting mat as she closes the door behind him. She’s wearing a wrinkled grey sweater, hair frizzed and with some tangles and she takes a breath, then another, then turns around to face him.

Then she smiles.

It’s not a pleasant smile, but it’s not unpleasant, either. She really does look like she’s trying to be genuine, but her eyes are just a little bit too wide, there are not enough wrinkles around them, and her lips are too thin. All this he can see through the red fabric of his bandana, which is… kind of thin, all things considering.

“Aaron. Hey,” she says breathlessly. 

He observes her. She looks… frazzled, for lack of a better term. As if she’s holding in too much energy and it’s seeping out of her, little by little.

“…Hey?” he says, a clear question in his tone. And a concern. Well, maybe a lot of concerns.

They stand there for a moment, just staring at each other, until Aphmau breathes in sharply and barks out a laugh.

“Hey! So, um, come in, come on, I wanted to talk to you, but I’d really prefer it if you were sitting down, y’know, cause this conversation might be a little difficult to digest…” she says as she starts directing him into her tiny living room. Aaron follows with a lot of cluelessness, letting himself be dragged along and directed to Aphmau’s dining table. Then he lets himself plop down on his seat, and watches Aphmau sit down in front of him, taking the other chair.

“Aph?” he asks again, and Aphmau tries to give him another smile, but it falls flat. His concern grows.

“I… I need to talk to you,” she says, sharp and hanging. Her hands start fiddling with each other, and she doesn’t hold his gaze for long.

“I… okay? What’s going on? Did something happen at school?” he says, and Aphmau laughs, short and stilted. She swipes a hand as if waving the concern away.

“No, no! Everything’s fine at school, it’s going great!” her voice is getting more and more high pitched, and Aaron is really starting to worry, now. 

“Did you get into a fight with your friends?” he asks, and Aphmau lets out another short laugh, except this time it’s even more high pitched, landing in an uncomfortable octave, and her shoulders have risen higher, and it sounds more… nervous.

“No, ah, everything's fine! I actually called you here because, well, I, uh…” she trails off. Aaron feels his brows knit together at the way she scratches her neck and avoids eye contact.

“Yeah…?” he says, voice soft in tone.

“Well… remember two months ago… when you came over, and we played video games, and then we got a little bit carried away, and…” she trails off, face sheepish, and…

And Aaron suddenly has a suspicion of where this is going.

“Um, yeah…?” he says, only this time his voice trembles a bit, and his shoulders begin to rise. Aphmau kind of winces at the tone, but keeps talking.

“Well, um, I’ve been feeling kind of sick lately, and, well, I thought that, um, uh…” she says.

Sick. She’s sick.

Oh no. Oh no, no, no. Oh _no_.

“Aphmau,” he says, a horrible, horrible realization settling deep into his gut. His voice is hoarse, and he can practically _feel_ the blood draining from his face.

“I’m pregnant.” she finally blurts out.

It’s funny how two small words can make such a big echo.

It’s like everything freezes. It’s like time stops, hanging in the air, and everything around him stills. And all he can hear…

“What?” he says, and his voice splits in two halfway. His eyes burn.

And that’s when Aphmau’s mask breaks in two, and the true panic in her face materializes.

“I took it. I took the test, and it came back positive, and I thought since you’re the only one I’ve ever done _that_ with, I mean, that you should know first, and…”

He can hear her trail off, and her voice falls away. Then, in a voice more vulnerable than he’s ever heard from her, she asks,

“Aaron… are you okay?”

And oh. Aaron is not the one who should be having that question asked to right now, but—

Suddenly, it’s all he can do not to break into a run, and he stands, jumping up like he’s been startled like he’s some innocent doe being chased, and sort of hovers, not knowing what to do, or how to make things better. Aphmau starts to rise with him, brows knitted together, and gaze full of concern.

Pregnant.

Aphmau is… pregnant.

With _his_ baby.

_Shit._

“How… how far along are you?” It’s a stupid question because he remembers the exact day Aphmau had been alluding to. The exact day that had gotten her pregnant in the first place.

Still. Aphmau doesn’t make fun of him, just lets out a shaky sigh.

“Two months. I… I’m planning on going to the doctor soon, to get an official diagnosis, but… yeah. I’m pretty sure it’s two months.”

Two months. Two months…

He takes a breath. And then another. And another. He… feels muddled, underwater. Everything feels slow.

“Aaron?” Aphmau says, except this time, she doesn’t sound nervous, or anxious, or forced.

She sounds… scared.

“Aphmau,” he says, and then can’t bring himself to say anything else and just flounders, arm outstretched and twitching, debating on where to go.

And then he’s right in front of her, having seemingly teleported in front of her, and through his bandanna he can see her face, looking up at him with such vulnerability, and…

“Aphmau,” he says once again, just for good measure.

And then his arms are around her, enveloping her in his arms, and he buries his face into her shoulder, feeling his arms tremble like his form has suddenly become unstable, and his eyes burn, burn terribly, and he feels his eyes get wet…

“Aaron?” Aphmau asks again, but this time it’s muffled, her face in his chest, and it has no fear in it, just a deep, deep worry.

Pregnant. Aphmau is… pregnant.

Oh, _no_.


	2. Aaron Chills The Fuck Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They talk. You know, like adults.

Aaron has always thought that Aphmau deserves someone better that him.

It wasn’t a hard thought to have. Aaron had often found himself dreaming, of a life beyond their small university campus. A life where he and Aphmau could go out in peace, make a life together, maybe get married. 

Then he would remember what he was, and what he could become. And then he remembered his father, and the tight leash he had around his neck. And then he would remember the curse in his blood. 

But Aaron just can’t help himself, wanting to be with her. He can’t help his smile when he catches a glimpse of her in the halls of their shared campus, or his hand from stroking her hair when she get’s particularly vulnerable with him. Can’t help the way his hear starts beating when she smiles at him or the soft feeling in his chest when she hugs him, feeling at home.

Aaron is completely and irreversibly in love with Aphmau. 

He has been for years. She was… kind, and clear-minded, and smart, and goofy. She brought out a softer side to him, one that he hadn’t even known he’d had six years ago. She made him better, and kinder, and more considerate.

But he’d never, ever, _ever_ considered starting a family with anyone. 

Even with Aphmau.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want children. Maybe, once he’d matured and gotten stable and out of his father’s control, and maybe settled down, with Aphmau, preferably, he might have considered adopting a child. That would have been a fine way to start a family, in his opinion. But biological children?

There was a curse in Aaron’s blood. A curse that would follow him and his family tree until the end of time. That included his children. And Aaron…

He couldn’t do that. He couldn’t do that to Aphmau, or whatever child they might have. He couldn't do that to the woman he loved, or to an innocent life. He just couldn't.

But he had.

Aphmau is pregnant.

Right now, it's all he can think about. He’s sitting on Aphmau's second hand couch, with Aphmau herself sitting next to her, holding his hand tight and waiting for him to speak in silence. It had taken him a while to calm down after the initial announcement, of which had been mostly spent with Aaron holding Aphmau, or Aphmau holding _him_. Whichever worked.

Now they were just here. Sitting in silence, waiting for the other to speak. 

Like always, it’s Aphmau who bites the bullet.

“I want to keep it.” She says, completely resolute in her decision. Aaron feels his hand jerk.

“… A baby is… a lot of responsibility, Aph.” He says weakly. Aphmau shakes her head.

“I want to keep it.” She says again, firmer this time. She clutches the sleeves of her hoodie and looks away, and the silence once again hangs thick in the air.

Aaron feels heat in his eyes, and he really, really can’t hold it in anymore.

“I’m sorry.” He says, voice on the verge of falling apart. “I’m… so sorry, Aph—”

He doesn't mean to cry. He really doesn't mean to let out such a loud sob, but he really, really can't hold it in anymore, and now he feels like he’s choking, because no more words can come out. He reaches up to his bandana and unties the knot, and his eyes are suddenly free from their red haze, barely visible from under his eye lids, and he can hear Aphmau take in a sharp breath next to him.

“Aaron—” she starts, but Aaron knows that she won't understand. That she doesn't understand, not yet, doesn't know why Aaron reacted like this. Is reacting like this.

So he has to tell her.

“Aphmau. I need to you something.” He says, the sound of the words in the air like nails on chalkboard, barely escaping his throat. Aphmau stills, then tightens her hold on his hand and wraps the other around Aaron and her hand both.

And so with a shaking voice, Aaron tells her about the Ultima.

\---

Aaron doesn’t know how he’d been expecting her to react when he finished his tale. Telling anyone about the Ultima had always seemed so far away. So forbidden.

But he does it.

He tells Aphmau everything, from the folktale to the long winded story of his father and their relationship, how caged in he’s been all his life because of the fear that he’d end up accidentally killing someone with his stupid eyes, how exhausted he is at having to keep up this stupid act, pretending that everything is fine when he has to wear a bandana to school every day, has to hide his eyes and go back to his dorm immediately after classes and talk to no one, no matter how much he yearns for a social life. He tells her that she had been his first friend. That those two years together in highschool had been the highlight of his still so short life.

He tells her that she deserves better than having to deal with him, and his curse. And that that’s why he’s sorry.

At the end of it, he doesn’t know what he’s expecting. But it’s not to see relief in Aphmau’s eyes, or immovable belief in his words. They’re silent for a bit, as Aphmau digests his worlds, and then finally she speaks after a few moments, tone gentle.

“Aaron… if you weren’t cursed, would you want this baby?” she says, and Aaron knows the answer with the beat of his heart, but is still so afraid to say it.

“Aph…” he says, and she smiles, something forlorn and sad.

“I know this wasn’t planned. Heck, we aren’t even dating. But if… if you weren’t so afraid of passing down your curse, would you still be so afraid to have this kid? Or any kids?”

Aaron purses his lips, and looks away.

“I… I always thought I would adopt. Since… but I’ve always wanted children.” he says, as if admitting some terrible secret.

Aphmau’s eyes soften, and she gives him the first genuine smile all night. She then raises her hands to his face, and Aaron remembers with sudden clarity that he’d taken his bandana off so he wouldn’t dampen the fabric with his tears.

“Your eyes are beautiful, Aaron.” she says with the softest voice he’s ever herd from her. And for a moment, for a single moment, if it’s from her, he can believe it. If just for a second.

“They’re not. They’re dangerous.” he says, and he says it like it’s just what it is, like it’s not so, so painful. But all Aphmau does is smile at him, and cradle his chin in her hands, and her touch is so gentle, and her eyes are so soft, and he feels… at home. Stuck in this moment, in a pocket of time where all that exists is him and her.

Then her hands leave his face, but Aaron doesn’t even have a second to panic as they go right back around his hand. He feels his breath hitch, then puts his other hand over Aphmau’s soft ones, holding them gently and relishing in their warmth.

He loves her so, so much.

“Aaron,” she says, and her voice is serious, yet her grip on his hands doesn’t tighten. Just holds on firm. “I need you to tell me that you’re going to be safe going back to your dorm room.” she says, and Aaron immediately wishes he could make the guards around his dorm disappear so he could assure her that that was the truth.

As it is, there’s no way he can do that. So he sighs.

“I can’t. I’m sorry.” he says, and Aphmau shakes her head, and sighs too.

“I think… I think we should talk about it, Aaron. Your dad, the curse. I… I’m keeping it, the baby, but I… if you want to be involved…”

“Of course I want to be involved. I wouldn’t leave you alone for this.” he says, mildly offended he would think otherwise, and is surprised to find how much he actually means it.

Aphmau smiles, another bright, blinding, relieved smile, and Aaron is suddenly hit by the realization that Aphmau truly thought there might be a chance Aaron would leave her alone, to raise a kid by herself and have to support that kid by herself, and wow, now Aaron feels like an asshole even though he’s not leaving Aphmau to raise a child on her own, but maybe for making her doubt that he would support her?

“I… thank you, Aaron.” she says, and he offers a small smile back, to make up for his frankly quite exaggerated reaction to her pregnancy.

Which…. still. Aphmau is pregnant. With his child.

Maybe his reaction wasn’t all that exaggerated.

“Honestly… I don’t think it’s really sunken it yet.” Aphmau says, then laughs one of her free laughs, one Aaron will never get tired of hearing.

“How long have you… known?” he asks, and Aphmau snorts.

“An hour. I called you as soon as the results came back.” she says. and Aaron blinks, eyes widening a bit.

“Are you okay? I mean, I know I freaked out really bad, but how did you react?”

Aphmau sighs.

“Uh, well… I kind of broke the pregnancy test by smashing it on the floor after ten seconds of staring at it. I actually took two tests, just to make sure.” she says sheepishly. He lets himself smile.

“Yeah, that sounds like you.” he teases.

“Hey!” Aphmau says, and he laughs, something tiny and soft. Aphmau seems to soften at the sound, eyes turning fond.

“Aaron,” she says, “I don’t know how the future is going to turn out, but I know that out of all the guys in the world, I’m happy that it’s you who’s the father of my child.”

“…Even if I’m… cursed?” he says quietly. Aphmau’s grip on his hand tightens.

“We can figure something out, Aaron. I promise you. Honestly, the thing I’m more worried about right now is your father.”

Aaron winces. Right, his father. There was no way he was going to tell his dad about this. There was no telling how he might react, what he could do to Aphmau. He could end up locking her away too, and… that wasn’t a life he wanted for her. Not Aphmau.

“I’m not telling him. He… you don’t know what he’s like, Aph.”

“Then tell me.” she says, and Aaron stalls. Then he sighs.

“He doesn’t trust me. He—I don’t know how he’s going to react to this. Honestly I wouldn’t put it past him to try to keep you under surveillance too, like me. And… I don’t think he would treat… the baby all that well either, once they’re… born.”

Aphmau looks at him for a moment, searching.

“Does he treat _you_ badly?” she asks. Aaron scoffs, but it’s obviously forced.

“It’s not like he treats me badly. He just doesn’t let me go out, or really spends any time with me to make up for it. And my mom is always off running the company with him, and my sister graduated college years ago, so she’s away on business trips for the company a lot. So it’s just… me. All the time. Alone.”

Aphmau looks like she can’t decide wether to be sympathetic towards Aaron or angry at his dad. In the end, she just caresses his hair in a comforting gesture. It brings a smile to his face.

“That’s terrible, Aaron.” she says softly. Aaron looks away and scratches his neck.

“I… I just don’t want you to have to go through that. I’m sorry. I should have told you about my family before, but—”

“Hey, it’s okay. I get it. I… would have liked to know, but I understand why you don’t tell me.” she smiles at him, wide and pure.

They sit there for a moment, just staring ta each other. Then the night catches up with Aaron, and he stutters.

“You’re… you’re pregnant.” he says, feeling as the words roll off his tongue. Aphmau chuckles, but she also sounds as if she’s in disbelief, at least a little bit.

“I’m… pregnant,” she says, her chuckle turning into a laugh.

“Man,” Aaron says, rubbing a hand on his forehead. “Your mom is going to kill me.”

And Aphmau laughs, then, loud and full and happy and… real.

“She is. Oh my Irene, she _is_.” and then laughs some more, and Aaron can’t help but join in. Because Aphmau is pregnant, and…

And they’re going to have a baby.

“Are… are you sure you wanna keep it?” he says once they’ve calmed down a bit. Aphmau grins.

“Yes. Absolutely. Aaron, you underestimate my love for babies. Okay, like, I would have preferred having gotten married before having a baby, or finishing college, but this works too, honestly.”

They sit there for a bit, thinking. Then,

“Do you regret it?” Aphmau asks, eyes downcast. “That night?”

“No,” he says, not even sparing a second. He knows the night Aphmau is talking about. That night two months ago, when Aphmau had cozied up to him and caressed his face in the middle of playing Final Fantasy XI and then pressed a kiss to his lips and smiled at him, and then led him to her bedroom with red dusting around her cheek bones. That had… that had been the best night of his entire life.

“Honestly… I wish we had maybe used more preventative measures?” he says, and he can feel his face heat up, from under his jaw to the line of his hair. “But I don’t regret it. Do you?”

“Nope.” she says, and then smiles wide, and the gesture lights up her whole face. She looks goofy, playful.

Free.

She’ll stay that way, if Aaron has anything to say about it.

Suddenly, Aaron can feel his phone buzz, and he jumps. He takes out his phone from his pocket and grimaces when he sees the text at the top of his notification’s. It’s Agent R, telling him that he’s been gone for two hours already and that if he didn’t come back soon, he would be discovered. He sighs.

“What is it?” Aphmau asks, brow raised. Hen shakes his head.

“It’s nothing, I just need to get back to my dorm soon. I kinda… sneaked out to come see you.”

Aphmau’s face transforms into surprise.

“You did? Aaron!”

“I know, I know, but I literally just told you how my dad is! Besides, it was an emergency!”

Aphmau sighs and shakes her head, but there’s a fond smile pulling at her lips. She caresses his hair and her eyes turn sad.

“Hey. Next time you come over, can you take the bandana off again? I… I miss seeing your eyes.”

Aaron catches her hand, and holds it in his for a moment, closing his eyes.

“…Okay. I will.” he says, and some of the sadness leaves Aphmau’s expression.

He sits there for a few more moments, relishing the presence of her, the woman he’s in love with, and takes a deep breath.

He doesn’t want to leave. He wishes… he could stay right here, holding her.

Eventually however, he stands, and lets go of Aphmau’s hand slowly, tenderly, then goes to pick up his bandana from the table.

“I… I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?” he says, and Aphmau sighs, then stands up too and goes up to him with a softness in her eyes.

“Okay.” she says. “We can talk then, okay?” and then wraps her arms around him. He returns the gesture, gentle in the way he holds her and careful not to tighten his grip too much. He breathes in the scent of her hair and brushes his hand through the thick black strands.

“Okay.” he says, and with a tenderness reserved only for Aphmau, he kisses her forehead, soft and tender. She smiles at him with dusted cheeks and a fond smile.

Then he lets go of her, agonizingly slow, and turns to the door. He raised his bandana to his eyes once again and ties it around his head, and just like that, he’s Aaron Lycan again, shy and introverted and alone. Except when he turns around, Aphmau is still there, face soft and round and kind.

“I love you.” he says, and his voice shakes a bit when he says it, because it feels so incredibly forbidden to say that, to love anyone. Aphmau’s eyes widen, and she blinks. And then her whole face lights up, and her eyes turn shiny.

“I… I love you too.” she says, voice shaky but still somehow steady, and he knows the moment she says it that she means it. At least, he hopes so.

He smiles at her, a smile that holds too many feelings, that holds to many questions, that doesn’t hold enough answers.

And then he opens the door, and slips through the doorframe, and with a terrible stutter, closes the door behind him, cherishing the last glimpse of Aphmau through the doorway as the door shuts closed.

And then, after he’s hesitated for a moment, after he’s willed himself not to open the door once again, he turns to the hallway and sighs.

And then he’s gone.

\---

Agent R gives him a cold stare when he comes back, and the crosses his arms, clearly demanding an explanation. Aaron grimaces.

He… to be honest, right now he was kind of busy still wrapping his mind around the fact that he was gonna have a baby soon. In seven months, to be exact.

Aaron trusts Agent R. The man has been nothing but kind to him in all the time he’s known him, at first through small gestures, like trying to cheer him up with sarcastic comments when he’d catch him out in public when he wasn’t supposed to, to actually helping him _go out_ in public, covering for him whenever the guards asked too many questions.

But Aaron… Aaron can’t tell _anyone_ about Aphmau just yet. Not even Agent R.

“A friend needed my help.” he finally says, because that was technically the truth. Agent R sighs.

“At least give me a warning next time, kid.” he says, and Aaron rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, a nervous smile coming to his lips.

“Yeah.” he says, and Agent R nods. Then he leaves without another word.

Aaron sighs once the door is fully closed behind the man, and sits down on his bed, putting his arms around himself. He thinks. And he thinks, and he thinks, and he thinks…

He’s really, really tired.

He takes his hoodie off, then his bandana, tying it around his wrist as a comforting gesture. If he thinks it hard enough, he can almost imagine it’s Aphmau’s hand around his wrist.

Her bandana. It was her bandana, after all, the one she’d given him in highschool after he’d foolishly cut his arm trying to clean off the glass of her window back then, after throwing Ryland into it and outside of her house.

“Good times,” he murmurs, and then pulls his bed cover over himself.

He’s out in a matter of seconds.

\---

_The first thing he sees is fire._

_The flames rise and lick the under sides of his arms, and he shudders, feeling cold. His hands are covered in black gloves, he’s not wearing a shirt. The coat on him is black, and his hair is long and bushy, so much so that it covers some of his eyes. He’s missing the familiar weight of the bandana over his eyes, but that’s okay._

_He has a feeling it’s in good hands._

_“Aaron of Falcon Claw.” a voice suddenly whispers around him, and he shivers. The flames around him go out, and he’s left in darkness, standing in an endless dark room, alone and singular._

_He doesn’t feel fear. He feels… curiosity._

_“There is no Falcon Claw. Not anymore.” he hears himself say. His voice is harsh and devoid of warmth. The voice laughs, loud and high and cruel._

_“Right. I have an offer to make you…” it echoes around him, and he snarls._

_“I don’t need anything_ you _could give me. I don’t even want it.”_

_For a moment, everything is silent. Then the voice chuckles, hoarse and sandy._

_“Oh, dear. It’s good that I’m not here to give you something_ selfish _then, is it not?”_

_He blinks, and suddenly he’s in a house, with creaking walls and a spice rack smelling strongly of pepper and cinnamon. The scent tickles his mind. His hands are bare, and he has a shirt again. His coat is red._

_“You’ve changed much in the time I’ve been away. You’re lucky I’m no longer something of sustenance, or you would’t be here.”_

_“Who are you?” he says, and his voice is no longer confident and cold. It’s filled with fear, now, and shakes with the wind. His surroundings start to fade into white. There’s talk around him, beyond the walls, noise of people outside working the day away and merchants haggling for prices. But soon enough, that starts to fade away too._

_“That depends,” says the voice, and suddenly there’s a form in front of him, contrasting against the pure white around his body. He can still catch a whiff of cinnamon, if he sniffs._

_Aaron feels his arms starts to go numb._

_He looks up, and there_ ’ _s a man in front of him, but his face is blurry. He has a purple sword, dark and glowing black, and Aaron starts._

_“Who are you?” the man says._

_Aaron feels as if he’s looking at a mirror._

_“I don’t know,” he says, and his voice sounds exactly like him. Not cold, not warm. Tepid._

_The man’s face clears._

_“You will.” he says._

_Aaron finds himself looking at Aaron, and his copy smirks. The white around them starts to crumble._

He wakes up.

He can’t remember what he’d been dreaming about. All he can remember is the loudness of his alarm clock and the fact that if he doesn’t get up soon, he’ll be late for his morning class. His mind is sluggish, and it’s hard to wake up when he’s had so little sleep.

Then he remembers the night before and freezes, a cold bucket of water dunked over his head. He looks up at the ceiling with wide eyes and feels his stomach sink.

Right. Aphmau’s pregnant.

Aphmau’s _pregnant._

He jumps up on his bed, eyes wild, and he can feel the exact moment their color turns from black to bright red, glowing stark against the rising sun’s light just outside his window. He takes a moment to breathe.

Right. Aphmau’s pregnant. Aaron isn’t telling his dad in a million years, and they’re keeping the baby.

Who could be the next Ultima.

But is also going to be his child. His and Aphmau’s child.

He breathes. The idea seemed a lot more terrifying than it had seemed last night. It made sense, however, because last night he’d had Aphmau’s hopeful smile, last night he’d had her warm hands in his.

Now, all he has are cold arms and a bandana around his wrist.

 _Time to ignore emotions_. He thinks, and tries to stop the weird trembling arms. But even after trying to bury the emotion under a pile of dread that can only come from finals, he can’t help but lay there for a minute, taking deep breaths.

He’ll call her later. During class, preferably, or in between so his father doesn’t get mad at him for getting distracted in class. Aaron knows better than to hope he doesn’t find out.

Finally, he drags himself from his bed and starts getting ready, taking a quick, cold shower and getting dressed. He decides in a black hoodie today, mostly for it’s soft fabric and simple design. He sweeps his hair away from his eyes really quickly, then ties the bandana back around his head, covering his eyesight.

Then he goes to his door and takes a deep breath.

He numbs his emotions. His face turns impassive and dead. Perfect.

Then he’s out his dorm with his backpack, and off to class he goes.


	3. Phone Call

He finds himself listless, lost, and unfocused the moment he steps into his first class of the day.

Today he doesn't have many classes to attend. That ends up being in his favor as he finds himself spacing out through the whole lecture, thoughts running wild on the other side of the country. Or maybe not that far. Maybe they’re running wild to a certain apartment on the other side of campus, tucked away in between buildings and stacked high, only available through a metal staircase. 

That's how his class passes, mostly. With Aaron lost in thought, watching the clock speed up and slow down at the worst moments.

It's just… no matter how he tries, he just can't get his mind off it. The fact that Aphmau's… expecting.

Crap. Now he’s avoiding the stupid _actual_ word. Great going, subconscious.

It wasn't… it wasn't that he was upset by it. It was just that he was more _terrified_ by it. There were so many factors that could go wrong here, so many things that could hurt Aphmau, mentally, and physically. His great great great grandmother down to his own mother had all been werewolves by birth. There was no telling what it might do to Aphmau as a human to carry an Ultima baby, and it wasn’t like he could just _ask_. Even if that factor didn't exist, there were risks in every pregnancy, no matter how easy. Her symptoms could be worse than average. Complications could arise with the baby itself. There was always a chance of miscarriage or stillbirth, both of which would undoubtedly be hard on Aphmau mentally and physically.

And what if he lost her? What of the complications got so bad that Aphmau lost her own life? How was he going to live on then?

Aphmau was his first love. He couldn’t lose her.

He looks up and realizes class has ended and feels himself frown. People around him are packing their books back into their bags, so Aaron does the same and begins putting his things away.

He tries to push back his thoughts to the back of his mind. Finals were coming up, after all.

He couldn’t afford to slack off. 

Literally.

———

He calls Aphmau during one of his breaks between classes and calms down a bit at the sound of her voice. She sounds tired, a bit run down, but ultimately fine.

“I’m good. Just had a little bit of morning sickness.”

Aaron grimaces.

“Are you sure you’re okay? Do you want me to bring you something?” he asks, and Aphmau laughs. 

“Aaron, no offense, but last I checked, the only way you can go out is by sneaking out of your dorm room in the middle of the night. I think I’m okay, really,” she says, and Aaron concedes that point to her, however unwillingly.

Still. It feels unfair to Aphmau for her to be alone when she’s in such a vulnerable position. Aaron can't even visit her without jumping through hoops. What if there’s an emergency and Aphmau needs help? 

“Aph, are you—are you planning on telling any of your friends?” he asks. Maybe one of them can take care of her until he graduates. Aphmau doesn’t respond for a moment, then sighs.

“I don’t know. I’m pretty much in the early stages, right now, so I don’t know if it’s a good idea to tell anyone just yet,” she says. Aaron frowns.

“I get that. But… are you sure you want to do this alone? I wish I could help out more, but as it stands…”

“I’m going to wait until after my doctors appointment this week, and then we’ll see. In the meanwhile, I’m okay, Aaron. I promise. A little nausea isn’t going to kill me.”

Aaron doesn’t feel all that reassured.

“If you say so.” he says, and Aphmau laughs over the line.

“How are _you_ doing, Aaron? Finals are coming up, and you’re graduating this year, right?” she asks. Aaron laughs awkwardly.

“Oh, yeah… It’s stressful, kind of. But… But I’ll be fine. I think.”

Aphmau is silent for a moment. Aaron wishes he knew what was going through her mind right now.

“Aaron, I think we should talk about your family. Just to get it out of the way,” she says, and Aaron tries to resist the urge to run away from this conversation. 

It's Aphmau, he reminds himself. Aphmau would never use his family or secret against him.

“What do you want to know?” He says after a moment.

“Tell me honestly. How would your family react if you told them about me?”

Aaron thinks for a moment, but he ultimately knows the answer.

“My dad would be angry. Really Angry.” He starts and lets out a shaky sigh. “My mom would just be disappointed, I think. She wouldn't support me either. My sister, she’s… Melissa has always agreed with my parents in everything they say. I don't see it being all that different in this situation, honestly.”

“Hmm.” Aphmau hums over the line. “Would they want you to terminate the baby?” She says. 

“Probably. The Ultima… the curse is… it's complicated. My father has always kept a close eye on me, ever since I was little. I think the curse is all he really sees in me.”

He takes a moment to breathe, then continues talking.

“I don't think he would treat the… _baby_ any different. He’d be constantly watching for the symptoms instead of trying to be a good grandfather, and I just… I don't know. I feel like you and the baby deserve better than that.”

Aphmau is silent for a moment. 

“How was it when you were little? Did they treat you like that even then?” She says, voice soft and afflicted.

“I don't know… they were never home a lot. They kind of just left me with nannies and got me too many toys and that was it. I mean, they were all meticulously vetted and all had to sign non-disclosure agreements, but it was just nannies. They were only there to make sure I didn't die while my parents were at work.”

“And you don't want that for the baby,” Aphmau says.

“I just don't want the baby to be treated like a burden. I want them to grow up normal, and fine, and have friends. Maybe… maybe if they get the curse, they won't be able to when they’re younger, but I want that for them when they get older.” he says, and rubs the inside of his wrist. He looks out the window of his dorm for a moment.

“Actually, I wanted to ask… how does the curse work exactly? I know what an Ultima is, but I don't know how they work.” Aphmau asks.

“It’s… complicated,” Aaron says, because it was. Curses we're never simple. “It’s usually passed on randomly. You could have two kids, and maybe only the oldest gets it, or maybe only the youngest gets it, or maybe they both get it. It's just like that.” He says.

“And the turning? How does that work?” 

“Ah, well… there are two ways. Either a bite or through looking at an Ultima’s eyes. The eyes are faster, but the bite is safer. It doesn't work on werewolves though.”

Another silence.

“…And you’ve been dealing with it ever since you were a baby?” Aphmau asks, tone unidentifiable.

“I mean… yeah?”

Hesitation. Aphmau doesn’t say anything for another moment, and Aaron can almost hear her mind turning, spinning round and round.

“Aaron… you know I accept you however you are, right?” she says, and Aaron’s tongue is immediately tied.

There had to be a limit to this. To her acceptance, to her unconditional love. There always was. There was always something that people didn’t like, that they wanted to change, like his awkward words, or his introverted attitude. Or, in his father's case, his cursed eyes.

“I don’t know a lot about this Ultima thing, or it’s curse. But you didn’t have to tell me. Even if we’re having a kid, you didn’t have to tell me anything. Heck, you didn’t even have to call me today, or ask how I was, or take responsibility, or want to be involved or _anything_. But you did. And I know how much this curse thing must scare you, but you’re not forcing me to… to get rid of the baby, or anything like that. You’re so willing to go against your own dad and you’ve known for less than half a day.”

“I just want you to be happy,” he says softly after a moment. And it’s true. It’s all he really wants, for her to be happy with her choice, for her to be happy having a child. 

“And you, Aaron? I want you to be happy too, silly,” she says, and her voice is soft, fond, understanding and sad.

He laughs a bit and gives the phrase some thought. 

“Hey Aaron,” Aphmau starts after a moment. “What do you think the baby will look like when they’re born?” she says, and he can hear the distant, disbelieving excitement in her voice. Aaron thinks for a moment.

“I think they’ll have black hair. Both of us have black hair. And… I’d like them to have your eyes.”

Aphmau laughs, and Aaron instantly knows that was the right answer.

“I want them to have _your_ eyes, actually. And maybe your nose. Mine is too big.”

“What? Your nose is fine, what are you talking about?” it comes out more defensive than he’d been wanting it to.

“I don’t know… it’s just weird! It’s all big and pudgy. I think I get it from my mom.”

Aaron has no idea where this came from.

“Your nose is fine, Aph, your face wouldn't look right with any other nose!”

And Aphmau laughs at that, a full, rich sound, bright and loud and the epitome of free. Aaron can’t help but join her.

“… I love you, Aaron,” she says then, and it rings so true, so clear like the toll of a bell signaling morning, and it feels like watching the sun lift in the sky and illuminate everything under it, bringing color to the world again.

She’d said that last night, too, but Aaron hadn’t been sure if she’d actually meant it.

“… I love you too, Aph,” he says, and he _means_ it, no matter how hesitant he is to say it. Because this thing they have is still so _new_ , the explicit telling of the words, the tone in which they’re said. The absolute, overpowering love he has for her.

Just then his phone alarm goes off, telling him that he has his next class in ten minutes, and he jumps. Aphmau seems to hear it over the phone and giggles.

“Do you have a class soon?” she asks.

“Physics,” Aaron says, and he can’t quite hide his distaste when he says it. All it does is make Aphmau laugh at him fondly.

“I’ll text you later, okay?” she says, and Aaron smiles.

“Okay,” he says, and Aphmau does him the favor of hanging up for him after a bright sounding goodbye.

He lets his smile sit a little longer. It feels nice on his face.

\---

Aphmau feels like utter dog crap.

She hates saying it. Pregnancy is supposed to be a gift and all that, but it honestly felt like having the life sucked out of her instead. Her feet hurt. Her head hurts. Her stomach hurts. Or is nauseous, more accurately.

And she was really, really tired.

Honestly, she felt like finding out she was pregnant had only heightened the symptoms. If she hadn’t noticed before, she definitely had now. She hopes the end of the week came quick; then she could get an official diagnosis and get everything taken care of with campus administration and get her doctor's appointments excused.

Honestly, even though she hadn’t let it show when Aaron had been there, she felt like her whole life had been upturned. As much as she hated to say it, since it was true that she really _did_ want this baby, this hadn’t been the plan at all. A baby was… what had Aaron said? “A big responsibility?”

She’d noticed.

For one, there could be no more fast food meals or ramen lunches. She would have to start planning all her meals in advance and start buying groceries, and that was gonna _suck_. She was going to have to cut down her hours in her full-time job, which was also gonna suck since she was in charge of a growing fetus now. Her bump wasn’t showing _now_ , but she would eventually have to worry about what outfits would be better for hiding it and which ones would have to be racked in the back of the closes until birth. Although, that wasn’t as big of a concern as it could have been considering the end of the year was in two months.

But as much as she hated to admit it, those weren’t the main things that were worrying her right now. That spot in her brain belonged to Aaron and Aaron only.

Maybe going directly to Aaron after taking two pregnancy tests hadn’t been the best idea, but it _had_ been the right thing to do. And she had tried to get out out of the way as soon as possible, too, just in case she was going to have to deal with his rejection. Better to get it out of the way and grieve early than to get hung up on it for longer. She’d been expecting a myriad of reactions from Aaron, from the positive spectrum to the negative as well. Maybe he would be angry. Maybe he would be miraculously happy, but he would most likely be shocked, she’d thought.

He had been shocked. He’d also turned as white as her wallpaper. For reasons unknown to her, she hadn’t been expecting that.

He’d hugged her. But it hadn’t been the happy kind of hugging. It had been a silent apology, something between a sorry and a resignation. She’d held him up in an attempt to decipher the meaning of the gesture and hopefully help in calming him down.

Aaron had always been a complicated person, you see. He was the gentlest soul when it came to those he cared about, but was all teeth with anyone else. And it was strange, Aphmau thought, how those two images could contradict each other so strongly. Back in high school, she’d had to literally pull out the “We’ve been friends since middle school over online games” card to get through to him, and it had been a card she hadn’t even known she’d had.

A part of her had been certain he would be happy that he was having a child. And that part of her was still completely convinced it was right. Unless there could be something stopping Aaron from being happy about it, however. And Aphmau supposed she’d been right about that too.

Aaron… was cursed. And was also maybe a werewolf? He hadn’t made it particularly clear. But that wasn’t why she felt so off.

It was just that… it _tickled_ , was all. In her mind. It tickled something in her mind she didn't understand, felt like a memory that was never there. It felt like she was _forgetting_ something.

Still. Putting that thought aside, the whole situation with Aaron was very surreal. She hadn’t let it show when he’d told her, but she’d actually been pretty lost, at first, when he’d tried to explain it to her. He’d been too busy crying to really make actual sentences, (Aaron. _Crying_. She’d known the moment he’d taken his bandana of that something had been deeply wrong, but it hadn’t cemented itself until she’d actually seen the tears) and Aphmau had been too busy reeling from his misguided apology to really make sense of it all. 

Aaron was an Ultima. He was also maybe a werewolf. And she felt like that hadn’t really sunk in yet.

It had to be discussed, what a curse might do to the baby. How they would have to grow up. How that could potentially change Aphmau’s pregnancy. And then there was Aaron’s family, who had treated him like an extension of that stupid curse and not as his own person instead. Aaron seemed so sure they would do the same to their unborn child, and Aphmau saw it as unfortunately very believable. Aaron seemed so certain that the baby interacting with his side of his family was only going to make things worse for them.

Aphmau sighed and looked down at her notebook. She’d been trying to study, but she supposed it was a lost cause at this point. 

Still. It was also true that Aaron’s family knew more about the curse than Aaron probably did, and that would only make things more difficult later on if their child ended up inheriting the curse. And considering their relationship with Aaron, there was no way they would be given the information all that willingly.

It was a good thing Aphmau knew how to write a killer essay, then.

**Author's Note:**

> Haha can you tell Aaron doesn't have a canon personality in Mystreet because I can and it's bleeding into my writing help.


End file.
